Excerpt: I received the following questions from a reader trying to understand the difference between a Biblical Christian worldview and that of Westboro Baptist Church on the subject of LGBTQ+. (1) Question: In your Biblical Christian view, what is the fate…

Author: Jeff Hilles

I received the following questions from a reader trying to understand the difference between a Biblical Christian worldview and that of Westboro Baptist Church on the subject of LGBTQ+.

(1) Question: In your Biblical Christian view, what is the fate of the LGBTQ+ community?

Answer: We are all sinners and all have the opportunity to be saved for eternity (James 2:10). Further, after we are saved, we remain sinners in the hands of a loving God.

(2) Question: Is their lifestyle considered sinful?

Answer: Yes, it is a sin. So is obesity (we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit), lying, greed, steeling, etc. (details here).

(3) Question: And if it is, isn’t that reason to believe they’re going to hell (if they don’t repent and become non-queer)?

Answer: Absolutely not. See #1 & 2 above. If sin, any sin, sent us to Hell, Heaven would be empty of all humanity.

(4) Question: If so, how is that any different than Westboro?

Answer: Westboro Baptist Church believes homosexuality is a sin above all sins, where the Bible makes it clear that one sin is no worse than another in keeping an unbeliever out of Heaven (Romans 3:23, 6:23). The Bible is not limited to calling out the sin nature of man. It speaks of loving our neighbor (Luke 10:27b) and helping them see the love, not hate of Christ. Westboro drives people away from God, not toward Him. Finally, they believe that homosexuality is an unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:22-32). There is only one sin that cannot be pardoned and that is rejecting God (the Holy Spirit), NOT homosexuality.

(5) Question: What other egregious teachings or views does Westboro have that are different and make them fall into a category different than the Biblical Christian Worldview?

Answer: They believe that natural disasters and other calamities are all the result of God’s wrath on a sin-cursed world. As a result, they show up at funerals (often military) with signs saying, for example, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” They show little, if any, grace (as God does) to those who do not strictly adhere to their version of Biblical truth, offering only hate to both the lost and the saved alike.

All your questions are understandable as so many lump the extremes (and moderates) of any concept (especially Christianity) into a single big bucket and then point to the incendiary behaviors of the extremes to define the whole group.

POSTSCRIPT:

A reader made the following correction to my use of the term “obesity” rather than “gluttony.”

Her Comment: “Gluttony, not obesity, is sin. Some people are obese because they have medical conditions, while others became overweight due to gluttony, but now they are trying to lose weight. They are still obese while they are on a diet, but that doesn’t mean they’re “living in sin”, because they are no longer being gluttonous.”

My Response: Point taken. I should have used the word gluttony as the basis for one cause of obesity rather than obesity itself. Further, my point was that God even forgives those born-again Christians who are obese due to gluttony as long as there is repentance based on a recognition of the sin.